attempt. >> we are working around the clock to insure the safe return of our citizens, and we will continue to be in close consultation with the algerian government. >> gun battles at home as president obama faces a tough sell of congress. chris christie blasts the nra over the web ad featuring the obama daughters. >> to talk about the president's children or any public officer's children who have not by their own choice but by requirement to have protection and to use that somehow to try to make a political point, i think is rep rehencible. >> ask not what your country can do for you. ask what you can do for your country. >> government is not the

solution to our problem. >> government is the problem. >> as times change, so government must change. we need a new government for a new century. >> my most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. >> on this day we come to require an end to the petty grievances and worn-out dogmas that have strangled or politics for far too long. >> ready for round two. the white house unveils the president's new official portrait, but he and congress face a public deeply pessimistic view about whether they can get the economy moving again. first lady michelle obama celebrating her 49th birthday with dinner out shows off a new haircut. bangs. with us this hour stephanie cutter, chair of the presidential inaugural committee, board of directors, and our lookback at inaugurations past with no apologies for either the 1980s

hair or the fashions. oh, boy. good day. i'm andrea mitchell live in new york. president obama heads into his second term with a strong approval rating nationally, but grave doubts about his ability to kick the economy into high gear. joining us for our daily fix, chris alissa, managing editor of post politics.com, and as we're coming on the air chris, first of all, breaking news that house republicans are going to take up next week a short-term debt ceiling extension. is it too short? does this get us past the hump? >> well, you know, look, this is an attempt by republicans to acknowledge that in a way president obama has won on the i won't negotiate.

>> it's not ending the problem, but it is an acknowledgment by house republicans that having that fight right now is not one that is politically advantageous for them, and not advantageous for the country. it does not mean, however -- obviously, it does not mean that we may not have down the road in three months time, and now kind of mid to late spring, we may not have the fight we are expecting to have next month. >> only 44% disapproval rating for the president. that's a pretty good head of steam going in. real concerns about whether the president and congress can do mying about the economy, which is job one.

>> the vast majority say it's in the wrong direction. there is a pessimism, is the best word i can use, about the deposit's willingness and i think even more worrisome ability to fix the problem. >> there is a decline in confidence. there is a broader trend, but it's a declining confidence in our institutions, most notably congress, and the white house it a lesser extent that, they can solve these big intractable problems, and i would say, just to return to the debt ceiling conversation, it's important to remember, this is not solving the debate over whether the debt ceiling should be a debate. this is putting off the debate of whether the debt ceiling should be a debate. >> we're told in response to

this report coming out of the white house, one white house official said it is a terrible way to run the country. when asked if the president would veto a short-term extension, the official would not say yes or no, but reiing rated the president's opposition to creating a series of self-imposed crisis. that from kristen welker at the white house. this is putting the onus off the back of the house republicans. this is a big result coming out of they are retreat in williamsburg where paul ryan and others were basically indicating that they can't win this battle. >> the president's press conference, the ball in your court press conference, this is the republicans hitting the ball back over the met saying it's now in your court. we should see. can i make one other quick note? i want a whole andrea mitchell reports on old andrea mitchell footage of presidential interviews and inaugurations. that is a ratings bonanza. >> you are going to see that today, so just stay with us. >> with no shame for all of those old hairstyles as well. thank you very much.

>> thank you. >> see you later. a huge team, of course, has been working overtime on the inaugural weekend plans leading up to president obama taking the oath of office. stephanie cutter chairs the inaugural committee board of directors and joins me now. thank you very much. wow. you have coming right out of the campaign you have taken this on. this is the most complicated management project. first of all, let's talk about the day of service on saturday. that's to some of us the most exciting. >> yep. you know, this is one of the things that the president and first lady and the vice president and dr. biden are looking forward to most. where they're joining with americans from all over the country to do what dr. king did best. to serve the american people. to move this country forward in a day of service. >> this is different in that

this time because it's the 20th constitutional day of swearing in the president comes on a sunday, it's happened before. it is going to be the official swearing in inside the white house on sunday. then again the reenactment, the parade, the speech, and all of that. looking at the weekend as a whole, what is the president's overarching message going to be going forward? >> it will be something familiar to the american people. this is a time for us to come together and reflect on the american people and the grit and determination of the american people. the theme is our people, our future, and what that means is this country only moves forward because of its people. the grit and determination of its people. >> i'm incredibly proud of, but also an agenda, an agenda of moving the middle class forward, of taking some of these big

steps that we need to take as a country, like immigration reform, addressing global warm and climate change. it's the people coming together. their grit and determination of what we've gone through over the last four years, the biggest economic crisis in a generation. ending a war, drawing down another war. ending don't ask accident don't tell. all of these things we accomplish together. we're not done. we have to continue doing that, and i think that you'll hear that from the president over the course of this weekend, and i think you'll hear that going forward into the second term. >> one of the things that the president is going to need is a lot of political ammunition, if you will. to use a bad metaphor for the fights that are to come ahead. >> there would be a political action group. tell us about that. jim messina is apparently going to head it. tell us why and what the purpose is, because arguably what the president really needs especially with congress is some

organization that would have some impact on republican members. not on trying to organize democrats behind it. >> you know, if they're coming out of the election, there was an enormous amount of energy coming out of the election. tens of thousands of people volunteered their own time to re-elect this president, and as i said before, not just to re-elect this president, but to move an agenda forward. tens of thousands of people organized all over the country, wanting to continue working for change across the country. of the -- everybody that is on the obama e-mail list, we did -- we asked some questions after the election. what do you want to do? how do you want to affect change? we're not done yet. they're not done yet. organizing for action will be a very effective tool. to organize people all over the country. for the president's agenda, to move us forward, whether it's gun control, to protect our children, whether it's climate change, whether it's immigration reform, whether it's to protect our economy and continue going forward for the middle class.

these are things that people voteded for, and they want to keep working on them, and also train the next generation of organizers. so, you know, we've seen what this organization can do in the past, and your comment about whether it's just organizing democrats or whether it will impact republicans. when this group has been called to action all over the country, it has affected change in washington d.c. we kept middle class taxes low. we insured that every working family across the country had a little bit more money in their pocket to get through some of the tough times. we enacted health care reform. these are real things that we did to take steps to move our country forward. this is what the american people voted for. they voted for change and they voted for action, and stloetd for a pretty specific agenda. >> i wanted to also ask you about valerie jarrett's interview with politico and mike allen. she really pushed back hard on the argument that there have not

been so far enough women in key roles throughout the cabinet. i'm not talking about the whole cabinet, but the lead four. now we look at dennis mcdonough being the chief of staff. on the frontline, not enough women. she points out in her comments to mike allen and jim vaned high, i don't play golf. i don't play basketball. i don't really play cards. i don't think anybody questions whether i have a role to play here. it's irrelevant whether the president wants to do that in some of his free time. what's really important is when we have something to say, does he listen to, you and he does. valerie jarrett. of course, she occupies a unique space with both obamas. arguably, whether or not she plays cards or basketball or golf doesn't really speak to the issue of whether or not the president spends a lot of time with the guys in the white house and whether there are enough women in high ranking positions other than valerie jarrett. >> well, a couple of things, andrea. first, i was a high ranking official in the white house for many years, and i don't play

golf. i do play cards. i wasn't looking to spend my personal time with the president. i was looking to work for him and to affect change, and he does listen to women. the same as he listens to men. it doesn't break down along gender lines in meetings about whose ideas are better. it's about who has the good idea and how do we move things forward? >> are there enough women in the room, though? >> absolutely. absolutely. and in terms of what happens in the second term, the president said it best at his press conference, just wait. you know, we're not even a quarter of the way through nominations to this president for the second term cabinet. wait and see how this all unfolds. i think you'll see a cabinet that shows the make-up of the american people. just as it did in the first term, and i have a strong suspicion that strong women will be part of that. >> thank you very much. spoken by a strong woman.

stephanie cutter. a lot of luck coming up in the days to come. the next couple of days will be big one. >> thank you. >> some of the hostages taken earlier this week in algeria have now been freed, but there is a lot of confusion over how many of the hostages made it out of yesterday's raid by the algerian army and how many were killed. >> we are still alive, and everything is good. >> our thoughts are with them at the moment, and very relieved. >> nbc news pentagon correspondent jim miklachewski. the fact that algeria moved without moifg either the french -- or, rather, the brits or us or the japanese and others who had nationals there, the can aidians, there's a lot of dissatisfaction with what's

happened so far. >> secretary of state hillary clinton called her counterpart there in algeria, again, for the second day in a row, and expressed deep concerns about the operation moving forward. the safety and security of those that remain hostages. there's a serious concern about the way the algerians conducted that operation yesterday. many of the, officials here at the pentagon suggest that the primary objective of the algerians appeared to be to crush the militants and not necessarily to rescue the hostages, and the state department spokesman said american hostages still do remain and talking about confusing numbers that were anywhere from three to ten america

americans. two americans managed to hide during the initial assault on that nat gas complex in algeria and were able to escape unharmed, but it's believed that at least three additional americans are still being held hostage there at that plant, and to become even more complicated, a regional news agency reported that the militants themselves claimed to have two americans held hostage and are demanding the delease of two convicted terrorists being held here in the united states in exchange for the americans. a spokesman made it clear, once again, very firmly that the u.s. does not negotiate for hostages. now, in terms of the ongoing operation, that, too, is very complicated. it's a very huge complex. there are very many buildings, and according to u.s. officials the algerians, because the u.s. isn't involved on the grouped, really have to go building to building to building to determine where and who may be

held at any given time, so this is going to be going on for some hours at least apparently as the situation, according to the state department, remains extremely fluid, andrea. >> jim, thank you very much. we'll be following your reports throughout the day. and can president obama and republicans agree on anything m next four years? virginia's governor bob mcdonnell just back from that house republican retreat in williamsburg, joins us next. former bush speechwriter michael gerskin who crafted both of president bush's inaugural addresses. [ female announceru really getting salon quality... or settling for wannabes? stop compromising! new vidal sassoon pro series. care and styling from the original salon genius, created to let you have it all at an affordable price. new vidal sassoon lets you say no to compromise and yes to very shiny... very silky... very sexy... very you. it's salon genius in a bottle!

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house republicans have spent three days on a retreat in williamsburg, virginia, on

getting the party turned around after losing mother presidential election. one of the speakers they lisped closely to has a record of success in virginia. most recently with the state's 5.5 low unemployment rate. virginia governor bob mcdonnell joins me now. congratulation on the economy in virginia. it's to be envied around the country. what advice did you are on for house republicans? i think we're beginning to see one result, which is the offer of a short-term debt ceiling extension that they don't want to engage in this second cliff battle with the white house right now. >> thanks for having me on. i told them a couple of things. one is stick to your principles. we need a principled conservative party. not another liberal party. but, secondly, find ways to talk about the kitchen table issues that people care about and solve problems and offer a clear contrast to the president about managing the finances of the united states of america.

i think john boehner and eric cantor are doing a good job working together. i think we have to find ways to more carefully explain to people all year long why conservative principles work. i think they'll do that, and i look forward to working with them as governors do around the country in getting things done. >> do you think after newtown and the massacre there that things have changed on can't we find some middle place between the white house and congress on guns? >> i think the fist question, andrea, is what are the policy that is would actually work that would be able to help prevent the type of things at newtown. we have experience in virginia after the tragedy of virginia tech five years ago. governor cain and i worked well together on mental health, on

reporting disqualifications, and we find a way i think that's made a difference. i've signed an executive order that have a school safety task force, and we're looking at a host of things, but it focuses on mental health school safety, on security -- about schools officers. >> aren't those loopholes? what about background checks and the gun show loopholes and the fact that 40% to 50% of guns sold, especially because of the secondary markets, have no background checks at all? >> i'm not sure that number is accurate. looking either at sandy hook or virginia tech, the gun show loophole had nothing to do with that. i know some are advocating for that. virginia has as good a gun background check system as during the committee. we have the third highest number of reports to the database, to disqualify people based on mental health and criminal quicks. we kind of think our system is

working. we've had that debate. it's really do we want to -- as he posed to the public sale. that's the broader issue under the second amendment. i think it's good to have that discuss, but andrea, the question is not what makes you feel good, but what will actually work to be able to protect our kids. i have five kids. they've all gone through virginia public schools. let's find out what is actually going to keep them safe, and that's where our discussion is here in virginia. >> let's talk about immigration. that's another issue. i don't know if it came up during your meetings, house caucus meetings. marco raubo is up front with a plan that would have steps towards legalization. gegs workers that could get take aresh look at immigration, as marco rubio is suggesting? >> i think both parties need to take a fresh look at immigration because you can't just focus on that, and i applaud senator rubio for trying to find a way

particularly to address issues with children who are caught up in some of the immigration debate. andrea, until we secure the borders and we actually find ways to enforce the current laws that are on the books with an understaffed and underfunded ice, immigrations and customs enforcement agency, i think it's hard to get to the final pathwa citizenship, and i think all these things are part of a solution. look, i favor vastly more legal immigration. what we don't want is more illegal immigration, and neither do people that are here lawfully who have come from other countries. my grandfather came lawfully 100 years ago. we need more of that. we have an arbitrary number of guest worker permits. we need to increase those to meet the economic needs of the country. i think you have to talk about all of these together. for the republican party we've got to make sure we know that people are welcome in this country. >> governor mcdonnell, thank you. we have to leave it will.

>> thanks, an trae. as promised, the first of our look backs at inaugurations past. i've been covering them for more than 40 years, starting with one of the warmest. 198 1shg the inauguration of president ronald reagan where we enjoyed a balmy 55 degree day. >>ates beautiful day. >> as can you hear, there's a crowd behind us here. the beginnings of some of the grassroots -- some of the people i guess out rehearsing for the parade. >> it's now 2 degrees above zero. the high is expected today to hor in the 2's or absorbing but the wind chill factor now has dropped to 17 degrees below zero. another reason why the parade has been canceled and the public swearing in ceremonies have been moved inside. >> it's nice and warm in here. the president said that he did not want to break p a winning team, but he is bringing in a new coach and general manager. >> mr. secretary, how are you going to whip this place into shape? >> i'm not going whip it into

hap. i'm going to gradually get it into shape. >> with more senator pat moynihan. senator moynihan, any thoughts about what the bush presidency is likely to be now that we've seen how he has been behaving during this transition? >> very different from what we've had, and we're all very proud of him and happy for him today and looking forward to the next four years. >> i don't know if you can pick him out in the crowd, but senator moynihan is one of the few gentlemen today who was wearing a hamburg. very distinguished it is. >> we were admiring that, andrea. my husband and i can't stop eating 'em! what's...that... on your head? can curlers! tomato basil, potato with bacon... we've got a lot of empty cans. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. yeah. then how'd i get this...

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joining me now is washington post columnist michael gerskin who wrote both of president bush's inaugural addresses, and to all my friends on twriter, tweet me what you think of the old hairstyles and colors. shows a little bit of guts, i

think. michael, you haven't changed over the years. let's talk about the bush inaugurals and what you learned. how did it feel sitting up there? i was sitting near when you you talked at the time, and hearing the words that you had helped craft with president bush's message. what does that mean to a speechwriter and to a colleague working on such a big speech? >> well, i remember talking to you on the west front of the capitol in 2004, and i can just remember total blind fear that day because, you know, you look back, as i did, when i worked on inaugurals with the president, and read all of the past inaugural speeches, and it is just extraordinarily intimidating to even imagine yourself a very small part of that long story. and to try to contribute some way. it's just very intimidating. that's mainly what i remember. >> now, we had hope and change. we had calls for bipartisanship.

even on election night after a very, very hard fought campaign this time, what should the message be? we've seen already the president came out swinging against the republican leaders, and he feels very much that after the boehner grand bargain collapsed in august of 2011, that they are against him and not willing to cooperate on anything, and, in fact, i was pointing out to another one of your colleagues earlier this week that the frontline documentary this week shows that on the very night of president obama's inauguration in wooin, that the republican leadership all gathered downtown and had a strategy session, and we're talking about cantor and others who are in the house leadership. they met with frank luntz and they were strategizing how to prevent anything the president wanted from getting forward. why should the president think committee accomplish anything with republicans? >> it is a very difficult political season. you have polarized electorate.

polarized political system. second terms are inherently difficult in and of themselves. i mean, the newness has worn off. the country is more divided. >> the smallness of our politics can let the president -- call the country to the common values that we share and show some democratic grace and paradoxically, when the rest of the political system looks small, you look large, that would be to the president's benefit, even going forward in these debates. i think he has to forget some of that history here in order to do an effective speech. >> how does a second inaugural speech differ from the first? >> snoo as i said, it's just

harder. you don't have the benefit of being new. there's a lot of preexisting conflicts. things had gone on for four years. in this case he didn't even get a honeymoon after his election. they jumped immediately into a divisive fiscal debate. normally that's a period where you detox american politics. our politics is more toxic than ever. there are only 16 people many american history that have gotten this second chance. there aren't too many memorable ones, except the most memorable one, which is lincoln's second inaugural. you know, what you want to do is call attention to, you know, this is a speech that speaks to all americans. not just to your constituency. call attention to the values that can unite us and move us forward. there's not too much more you can do in that context. >> michael, thank you very much. speaking of the values that unite us, this week as we remember the life and legacy of the reverend martin luther king jr., we've got something very

special to share with you. previously unreleased interviews with dr. king in atlanta have now been discovered. the 32-year-old civil rights leader was then talking about how at the age of 5 years old he first became conscious of racism and how his mother tried to instill a sense of pride over inferiority in those difficult times. >> it seems to me that the only thing the mother can do, the negro mother, is to try from the beginning to instill in the child a sense of somebody-ness. this is what my mother tried to do. she made it very clear that in spite of these conditions, you are as good as anybody else, and you must not feel that you are not. this was her way of saying you should not have an inferiority complex. need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geico's emergency roadside assistance is there 24/7. oh dear, i got a flat tire. hmmm. uh... yeah,

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secretary of defense, let's take a look back at the 2005 inaugural when the foreign relations committee briefly held up condoleezza rice's mom nation to be secretary of state. >> the senate foreign relations committee has not moved forward as had been previously expected, and one of the reasons is barbara boxer and senator obama, mother member of the democrats, who have been questioning condoleezza rice on her kwaul fecks to be secretary of state. senator boem, you are obviously new to this, but have you spoken an elkwant keynote address about the need for bipartisanship. are you concerned about send this message forward for the foreign relations committee as one of your first acts? >> i think that we had some vigorous questioning in the committee hearing, but i also think that ultimately the president will have the team that he wants, and it's going to be up to the spragues so make sure that they want to reach out and construct this bipartisan foreign policy that's been the tradition in this country and

helped us win the cold war. >> senator barbara boxer. we were all so young. only so few years ago. senator, thanks very much for joining us. >>ates flashback. interestingly, have you now spoken with senator hagel, former senator hagel, and you have decided that you will support him. tell me what did he say that persuaded you that this was not just a convergence of -- conversion of convenience? that he is really committed to your value system going forward. >> not just did i speak with him at length, but i asked him to put in writing his positions on the various issues of concern to me, which included the issue of sanctions against iran, our relationship with our great ally israel, which included his attitude toward gays in the military, which included his attitude towards making sure that women in the military are protected from rape m military and, many of the, have the same

reproductive health care as women outside the military. this wasn't one question. it was a series of questions. i will say and i sent that with his permission -- he sent those answers out. i felt his answers were very understanding of where we are as a nation now. i think he has evolved on a number of issues. the most important thing to me is he is very loyal to our president. our president has done so well on foreign policy. he has he wanteded one more. he is about to end another war. i think chuck hagel is his choice, and as long as i am satisfied with those answers, i will be supporting him, and i hope my colleagues will as well. >> looking forward also on the gun issue. do you think there's a reasonable solution that's possible that we'll come bin some of the things you have add coindicated so strongly for, including the assault weapons ban, and of course aring the magazines? >> yes. i have been involved in this for a long time. i had a personal issue where one

of my son's best friends was gunned down and died in an office shooting in san francisco way back when i first came to the senate in the early 1990s, and he threw helms on top of his wife and saved her life. this changed me in many ways because it showed me the hole many your heart that you have, and i think what happened in sandy hook put a hole in america's heart, so i think this is a changed moment for us. when you see that almost 90% of the people support background checks, so we make sure guns do not get in the hands of the mentally ill, criminals, people who would harm others or do harm to themselves, that's commonsense. it isn't about taking gun rights away at all. it has nothing to do with that. i think if america would

understand that we lose in two years more people from gun violence than we lost in ten years in the vietnam war, this is a crisis i can only hope that we will move forward with a good plan. i think the president has laid one out. it includes school safety, which i'm an advocate of. i'm pleased about that. if ever there was a moment, andrea, this is the moment. >> senator barbara boxer, see you on monday on the platform, i hope. thank you, senator. >> i will be there. and president obama promised warmer inauguration day weather this time around. can he deliver? nbc's tom brokaw next. at optionsxpress we're all about options trading.

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morning, boys. so, i'm working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. no way! i'm like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot? wherever your business takes you, nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >> this will cost you $300. it is a ronald reagan vase. i don't know quite how else to describe it without getting into some trouble. >> how think it will look at your mantle? >> i think at $300 it may look best back in its box. >> that, of course, was our own tom brokaw and the late john chancellor. covering ronald reagan's second inaugural in 1985. the ceremony was held indoors

because it was only 7 degrees outside. a lot colder, tom, the wind chill. 17 below we were told. well, we were hoping for warmer weather on monday. >> ronald reagan's first inaugural was bitterly cold. jane pauly and i were on the "today" show in those days, and that was the jimmy carter inauguration, and we were outside looking like third story men. we had stocking hats pulled down and big down jackets. >> actually, the reagan first was a balmy 55 because we were not even wearing coats. i remember being on the parade route with willard scott. when we look towards the inaugural, this is a second inaugural. not as much emotion as the first. coming after such a divisive campaign, what is the challenge for president obama to try to inspire the nation? >> i think i was listening to michael, who is a wonderful speechwriter, and i think he had it just about right. i would say that it has to be a mix of poetry, big ideas, where i want this country to go, but

at the same time you have to mix it with the practical hard truths that we're all going to have to face that are out there. everyone understands it. it has to do with tax reform and medicare and social security. and kind of realigning the federal budget. the phrase that i have been using, you know, ever since the end of world war ii democracy has been giving its citizens something. now we're going to have to start taking some things back. not just its federal level, but pensions are not going to be the same at the state and at the local level as well. you know, andrea, i remember when medicare came into play. i was marrying into a family of physicians. they were violently opposed to the idea of medicare. they said it's the end of medicine as we know it, but medicare at that time was described for my grandmother, who was living only on social security. i had a working class family. my parents were making great sacrifices to keep her going, and it was really for the people who didn't have a safety net of some kind.

since then a lot has been added that christmas tree, and now we're going to have to start taking some off and rearrange it, and that's tricky for the president to prepare that. this should not be a speech about medicare, but it should be a speech about what our obligation is as citizens to the generation coming along next. >> e ain't state of the union speech. we don't expect a laundry list of proposaled. we do expect big ideas, and also, as you point out, lessons about citizenship and what our only gags are, especially those of us who are privileged. >> i think he has to reach across the lines and say, look, we have been through a very spirited election. we've been through some very, very difficult economic times in which we've had sharp differences, but now it is time to move on. we've had the election. republicans do have the house. i was elected again. he won't say it quite that way, but the people have spoken, and now there has to be a common goal. as gi across the country, i find that's really what people want to have happen. the divisions that you see in

washington that they say represents the will of the american people, once you get beyond the beltway, the american people are much more inclined to say let's try to fix this. >> and when you listen to the people in newtown and the parents who talk about trying to take politics out of this equation and let's talk about what can work and what is real, i mean, guns. you come from the west, and you know the plain states, you know better than anyone what guns mean to people, but guns for particular use. >> yeah. well, i have been talking about this a lot, and the fact is that guns are the final tool in a breakdown of a lot of things. the breakdown of mental health facilities, for example. we had two deranged people in newtown and aurora. how do they slip through the cracks? we seem to have a kind of cultural violence. it's more and more vivid. on video games and films. even on television. even on, you know, the game of football is more violent than it has ever been before.

there's a kind of celebration of that. we have to put it in some kind of context. we have to have a dialogue about it, and the same thing has to happen, obviously, about the place of guns. i looked at the response day to spent his time in the military shooting assault weapons and said they do not belong in a civil society. well, the response to that was, i have to keep my weapon because the government will try to take it away from me and i have to be able to fight back when that happens. that's the most far reaching thing to imagine. if we get to the stage where storm troopers show up on the stage, it's more than guns. it's anarchy in this country. >> tom brokaw, our special correspondent, looking forward to your coverage in coming days, thank you. >> thank you, andrea. looking ahead to this weekend and the inauguration of the 44th president of the united states, more flashbacks. president bill clinton and the first inauguration of the current president barack obama. >> we're back along pennsylvania

avenue. bill and hillary clinton have gotten out of the car. >> we're here with -- the new chief of staff. i guess i should say welcome to the white house. got here a few hours before you did. >> thanks very much. we're honored to be here and certainly privileged to serve the american people. ♪ >> and what do you want to be when you grow up? >> the president of the united states. >> and tom, not only does she want to be the president, but her younger brother austin says he wants to be a secret service agent and protect his sister. >> that's -- >> back to you, tom. >> great and touching story. in fact, out of the mouths of babes, the wisdom of the day. >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i george walker bush do solemnly swear -- >> i george walker bush do solemnly swear -- >> some might argue he's not taking the oath of office had you not been his lawyer. >> well, that's a nice thing to say but i don't think that's the

case. i think that the court would have decided what it decided no matter who was his lawyer. the court decided the case on the merits. >> governor, what are your thoughts today? do you have any thoughts about the possibility of changing the constitution so you could be in the good seats up front? >> i'm having an excellent seat here with the governors of this great country. >> the 44th president of the united states, barack obama, a day of drama, history and emotion here in washington. >> you're looking at a mass of humanity and as he walked down, you realize the burden that's placed on his shoulders but he was trying and i think successfully did reach out to the world, reach out to america to face the raging storm, face all of the troubles and in first talking about the crises that we face, he then talked about the opportunities. ad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up

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and that does it for this

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now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. hi, everyone. i'm tamron hall. three days before inauguration day and the "news nation" following president obama's approval rating, higher than most of his first year. our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows the approval rating at 52% but despite the number our first read team notes, quote, the president faces an american public that remains in a funk as the president spends a low-key day at the white house, the new official portrait is unveiled. the president is smiling more but there is a lot more gray and inauguration weekend in washington kicks off tonight with pre-inaugural balls. many of those